“We know Fr. Prevost!” writes Fr. John Larson, MIC, from Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Pompeii Parish in Kenosha, Wisconsin. “Some parishioners immediately recognized the name of Fr. Robert Prevost when he was announced as the new pope, taking the name Leo XIV. Not only is he a member of the Augustinians who administered our parish for about 68 years, but he visited our parish at least twice. (The Marian Fathers took over administration of the parish in 2010). “On June 7, 1997, a member of the parish, Fr. Philip Cook, OSA, was ordained an Augustinian priest. We know Fr. Prevost visited, but we don’t have any photos that show this. “On Oct. 9, 1999, when Fr. Prevost was the provincial of the Augustinians in the Midwest, he came (above) to celebrate the 95th anniversary of our parish and the 65th anniversary of the Augustinians administering the parish. “We also have his signature on a document (top) honoring a husband and wife as third-order Augustinians. He signed this in 2002 when he was the Prior General of the order. “I can assure you our parish was not expecting to have been a place previously visited by the current Holy Father, but we are happy to be known as such a place!” From the VAULTS 36 Marian Helper • Fall 2025 • Marian.org
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